


A Flower, a Bird, and a Blur

by aurythestarry



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Birdflash - Freeform, Fluff, Future Fic, Kid Fic, M/M, Marriage, Parenthood, Post-Canon, The Team - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-15 23:20:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7242934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurythestarry/pseuds/aurythestarry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"'I hate babies,'  Wally had groaned into the table that morning.</p><p>'No, you don't,' Dick had said."</p><p>Parenting ain't easy, but it can't be worse than being a superhero.<br/>(At least, that's what Wally tells himself.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Flower, a Bird, and a Blur

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Half and Half and Whole](https://archiveofourown.org/works/729073) by [Barkour](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barkour/pseuds/Barkour). 



> hey look it's birdflash with a babyy ahhh ft. some batfam members and the team  
> i named her iris to kinda go along with the comics + i like the nickname irey so yeah that's my explanation  
> this is pure fluff and cuteness and i hope you enjoy it!!

The moon was shining brightly on a cold winter’s morning. The air was still, and snowflakes were drifting slowly down to earth. The setting was the very definition of peace. The residents of the neighborhood were all in bed, resting in their warm houses and apartments. However, one couple wasn't quite so relaxed. 

Right on schedule, the sound of Iris’s chatter came through the baby monitor. Wally groaned and rolled onto his front before looping his arm around his partner's waist. “You're up, babe,” he mumbled, poking him in the side.

Dick sighed, opening his eyes, and trying to focus on Wally's face in the moon’s lambent light around them. “I have to go to work in a few hours,” he muttered, wishing he could sink back into his rare blissful hours of sleep.

“So do I,” Wally said, looking at Dick. “Besides, I handled her last night. And you know how that went.”

Wally had been up all night trying to coax Iris back to sleep. She had woken up at eleven, and she stayed awake until two, leaving Wally with only four hours of sleep and Dick with a very grumpy and sleep-deprived speedster. 

“I hate babies,” Wally had groaned into the table that morning. 

“No, you don't,” Dick had said while spooning applesauce into Irey’s mouth. 

Wally had poured himself a third cup of coffee, despite knowing it would do absolutely nothing for his energy level. “Well, I hate their sleep patterns.” He stuck his tongue out at Irey, who giggled and spat her breakfast into his face. 

Dick decided Wally deserved a break. 

“A’ight, I'll go,” Dick said, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. 

Wally sat up behind him and linked his arms around his shoulders. “Thanks, babe.” He kissed the back of his neck and murmured, “I love you. Now go before she starts crying.” 

Dick turned his head and kissed Wally's forehead before sliding out of bed and down the hallway to the baby room. 

He could hear her little voice jabbering quietly to herself before he entered the room. Dick smiled, despite his sleepiness. He walked in and, from the soft glow of her nightlight, saw Irey lying on her back, the arm of her stuffed bear in her mouth and her eyes transfixed on the slowly turning bat mobile above her crib. Dick walked to the crib and spun the mobile gently, smiling as the little bats hanging from it twirled in small circles. 

Dick remembered when Bruce had come over to meet Irey, he hadn’t been the tiniest bit amused by the bats hanging above the crib. “C’mon Bruce,” Dick had said, “It’s her very own bat mobile!” 

Bruce _really_ hadn't been amused by that. 

Irey looked up at Dick, and her face lit up. “Dada!” She reached her arms up and kicked her feet. Dick grinned and picked her up, bouncing her gently on his hip. “Good morning, little lady. You're pretty talkative this morning, huh?” 

She replied by yanking on Dick’s shirt and sticking her hand into her mouth. Dick gently took her hand out and wiped it on his shirt, planting a kiss on top of her head. Irey ignored his affection and stuck her handful of fabric into her mouth instead. 

Dick gave up and lifted her up, resting her against his chest. Irey pressed her face into his neck and coughed softly. Dick froze and listened to her breathing, then relaxed when it steadied. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding in. 

When Irey was five months old, she had gotten sick. Really sick. He and Wally had to take off one week of work each to take care of her. She would wake up several times in the night, coughing and choking on her own saliva; and usually rested in one of her parents’ arms during the day sleeping or crying. It was then when Dick had a breakdown and called Bruce for help, and then when he felt Wally’s love the most. In the few hours of peace they had in those nights, Wally held him tight and assured him their daughter was going to be okay. Those harrowing nights were the most he’d ever cried in his entire life. Wally had joked, after Irey had recovered, that Dick had spilled more tears than Irey did in those fourteen days. Dick had retaliated and reminded him that when Irey had first come home from STAR Labs, Wally had sobbed into Dick’s shoulder and could barely look at her without tearing up.

That had shut Wally up, which was a feat very few had accomplished.

Dick laid Irey down on the changing table. This was the part of the job that he wished Wally could always do; it took Wally under two seconds to change her diaper, but it could take up to five minutes for Dick. Irey was a fidgety little baby and she didn't like sitting still, which was evident by her refusal to wait patiently in her crib for her parents to wake up and remove her from the barred prison she consistently tried to escape from. It was almost like she was incredulous they put her in it every night. 

At first, diaper changes were near impossible, even for Wally. “The lab results showed no trace of the speed force, but I swear to God she has speedster blood,” Dick complained to Wally one afternoon while resting on the couch. 

“That means she's gonna be as good looking as her Daddio, right?” Wally had said, grinning at Dick and wrapping an arm around his torso.

Dick had smacked Wally's arm, but snuggled closer to his partner. “Well, that also means she's going to try and scoot off the table every time she needs to be changed.” He buried his face in his hands. “Can't you just do it every time?” 

Wally kissed Dick’s shoulder. “No can do, babe. What if I'm gone on official Team or League business?”

“Nine times out of ten, that business of yours will be my business as well,” Dick had said. 

“And then it'll be my mom's job to change her diaper,” Wally said. 

Dick laughed. “Hopefully she'll be able to handle the outrageous amount of squirming Iris does on the table.”

“Oh, don't worry,” Wally had said with a grin. “She had to deal with me first.” 

Now, with Irey just under a year old, they had mastered the routine of diaper changes and formula feedings, and accepted the inevitable loss of sleep they would have each night. Dick was much more comfortable with staying up late and getting up early after so many late-night patrols with Batman and _as_ Batman; but Wally suffered and usually convinced Dick to take baby duty in the mornings. However, that put him on duty in the evening and often resulted in situations similar to the previous night's. 

Luckily, Irey decided to sit still for once and the change took only two minutes. Dick snapped the buttons of her onesie back together, and yet again tugged Irey's fingers out of her mouth. Iris reached her arms up and snuggled into Dick as soon as she was picked up, and Dick was reminded immediately why he loved being a parent so much. 

At first, Dick had been terrified. He'd spent a lot of his time preparing for Irey by interrogating Bruce and venting to Wally. Both those preparation methods weren't very helpful, as Bruce usually gave him three-word responses to all his questions and Wally would have no idea how to comfort Dick’s anxieties. 

“I know just as little about babies as you do, babe,” Wally had pointed out. “But there's always Barry and Iris. They'll know a lot more.”

Needless to say, Wally's uncle and aunt were a lot more helpful than Bruce had been. Dick also inquired with Alfred, who knew quite a bit about child care as well, arguably as much as Barry and Iris did. But altogether, every piece of advice they got was helpful once Iris was finally delivered. 

A few months after Iris had been brought home from STAR Labs, the Team had come over to see the new parents and their child. The Team had gotten a big lead on a mission the first few months of Irey's life, so they were all busy and couldn't visit. Wally gushed about her whenever he was on duty up in the Watchtower, and entertained the Team and the League with stories and photos that Dick insisted on taking. But whenever they did come to see her in person, it was time they all cherished.

Zatanna loved dazzling Irey with her magic, and was great at quieting her when she cried or fussed. Irey's eyes would always brighten when Zatanna lit the room with sparkles and bright blue strings of light from her sorcery. M’gann would spend all her time playing with Irey, and sometimes Dick and Wally would task her to babysitting just because she loved it so much. Her telekinetic and shape-shifting powers made it easy to entertain Irey since her parents had limited powers that weren't very showy. She could amuse Iris for hours. Connor didn't as much love Iris as he was enchanted by her. The first time Conner held Irey, he was so awed he could only stare at her with fascination. He was always happy to babysit along with M’gann, even though he seemed slightly discomforted whenever she was put into his arms. When it came to Kaldur, he was content with simply watching Irey as she crawled, keeping an eye on her while the adults conversed with each other. Artemis was amazing with Iris, and she was always their go-to person when they couldn't make it to the daycare on days both Wally and Dick worked. Irey brought out the sensitive side of Artemis. She had told Wally she was proud of the two of them when she first met Irey. “You've done a great job so far.” She had met Wally's eyes and said, “Keep it up and give her a great childhood too.”

Those words had stuck with Dick a long time. He had to give Iris the childhood he had lost a long, long time ago. 

Dick peeked into his room as he passed by on the way to the kitchen and smiled when he saw Wally already passed out and drooling onto his pillow. Irey reached towards her other dad and whimpered a little, but Dick rocked her in his arms and shushed her. “Not right now, flower. Papa needs to sleep, especially since you kept him up all last night.” 

Iris, unfortunately, didn't understand a word of what he was saying and continued her struggle to get out of his arms. Dick swiveled around and kept walking down the hallway. Irey pressed herself further into Dick’s body and whined, but Dick only patted her back and swayed gently, and said, “Don't worry, flower. Papa will be up soon enough.” 

He glanced at the clock above the oven. It was 4:15 AM. Two more hours. Maybe not so soon, but babies can't tell time. She'd be distracted by her bottle and forget all about Wally in a couple minutes anyway. 

He opened the fridge and pulled out an already-bottled container of formula. Thank the Lord Dick had remembered to replenish their supply last night. Irey tried to grab it, but Dick held it out of her reach. “Getting a little ahead of yourself there, Irey,” he said, gently transferring her to his hip. 

Dick filled a small bowl with water and stuck it in the microwave. When the water was warm enough, Dick placed the formula inside and set the oven timer for fifteen minutes. 

God, Irey was squirming a lot. She had obviously inherited Wally's inability to sit still. He had to find something to do while the formula was heating up, to keep Irey distracted. Wally usually would run her around the block a couple hundred times, or, if he wasn't too tired, he'd run to the next city and back. Dick, however, didn't have any special powers to keep her busy with. 

“What am I supposed to do with her while the formula is heating up? Backflips?” Dick had complained to his bat family one night in the cave. 

“My dad sang to me as a kid,” Babs had said while tinkering with a couple of her gadgets. “You could try that.”

“Or you could do pull-ups with her on your back,” Tim had said from his seat at the Batcave’s computer. 

Dick had grinded his teeth and grumbled, “Not helping, Tim.” He frowned. “I’m no good at singing.”

“She’s a baby. She doesn’t care about your voice, Dick,” Babs had replied flatly. 

“Why don’t I give you guys a preview then?” Dick opened his mouth. 

“NO!” The members of the cave chorused. Dick froze and gaped at the various array of weapons pointed at him. “Guys! What the hell?”

“You sound like a dying goose when you sing, Dickie Bird. Don’t even try,” Jason had responded, not dropping his gun. “I personally like the replacement’s idea.”

“Thank you, Jay,” Tim said, smiling smugly at Babs.

Babs set down her batarang and shot a look at the two boys. “I repeat, she’s a baby. She’ll respond because you’re her father, and to the motion and all that baby mumbo-jumbo.” She put a hand on Dick’s shoulder. “You’ll be okay.”

Babs had been right. Whenever Dick sang to Irey, she immediately began to get sleepy. Dick started spinning around slowly, humming into Iris’s ear while rocking her gently. This was one of Dick’s only ways to get Irey to sleep, and he was hoping that the bottle would help put her back to sleep and grant him at least one more hour of rest. Iris laid still in Dick’s arms, her green eyes sparkling and connecting with her father's blue ones. Dick started singing softly as Iris’s eyelids fluttered slightly. She rubbed her eyes, laying her head against his torso, cooing along with his voice. Dick smiled and held her as close as possible, stepping into the moonlight from the window and watching the snowflakes as they wafted down to the ground. 

“I think I want a kid,” Wally had said three years ago. They were sitting on a park bench, watching the sun go down. 

Dick had turned and looked at Wally. His face was showered in gold and orange light, and his eyes were glowing. He looked so beautiful. Dick swallowed hard and said, “Yeah?” 

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure you could do it alone? I mean, I'd come to see them as much as I could but we don't live together. It'd be hard, with my duties in Gotham and yours in Central...”

“I was thinking maybe we could change that.” 

“Are you asking me if you'll move in with you, Wally?” He couldn't turn him down. But he couldn't be Batman in Central City.  
Wally had stood up and kneeled beside Dick’s chair. “No. Something better.” He pulled a box from his coat pocket. 

Dick’s eyes widened. 

Wally opened the box, revealing two silver bands encrusted in diamonds.“Dick, will you…” His mouth dried out and anxiety flowed off him in waves. “Um, marry me?” 

Dick didn't say anything, only blinked fast and covered his mouth, his body shaking. 

“Babe, you okay?” Wally had asked worriedly.

“Yeah, I'm great.” Dick was laughing, thank God. “Oh my God, Wally.”

Wally grinned weakly and began to pull his hands back. “Dick, you don't—”

“Yes, you idiot. Of course I'll marry you.” Dick had said tearfully, still laughing. Wally took his hand and slid one of the bands over his ring finger. 

“This is so cliché, I know,” Wally had said, blushing. 

“No. It's perfect,” Dick had said, taking the other band and sliding it down Wally's ring finger. He pulled his now-fiancé into a kiss and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. 

Dick had thought that had been the best moment of his life until Irey came around. 

The timer beeped, snapping Dick out of his trance. Dick returned to the kitchen and plucked the bottle from the bowl. He cleaned off the hot water and handed it to Irey, who gladly accepted it. 

Dick sat down on a chair in the living room and rocked Irey back and forth in his arms. He had just about reached his limit, and he was very ready to go back to bed. Irey seemed like it too. Dick watched the sky through the window as she drank from the bottle, feeling rather glad Irey picked such a serene and picturesque morning to wake up on. If only Wally would get up and join them in this wonderful moment. 

Irey sucked the final bit of formula out of the bottle. Dick took it from her little hands and began singing again, his voice lulling her ever so gently to sleep. Iris’s head bobbed and her eyes closed, and within a few minutes she was sound asleep. 

_Like father, like daughter,_ Dick thought. He rested his head against the back of his armchair and shut his own eyes. He'd put her back in bed in a little bit; he just needed to rest. He held onto Irey tight as he, too, fell into a peaceful sleep. 

Snowflakes floated slowly past the window and cast shadows onto the floor. The two of them dozed together in that quiet winter wonderland. 

\--

A loud beeping awoke Wally from his deep slumber. He smacked the OFF button on the alarm clock and reached out to awaken Dick, but his arm fell flat onto the mattress. He sat up and blinked blearily. Where was he? Dick had gotten up to tend to Iris only a few hours ago but he should've been back in bed already. He could always get her to sleep—which was more than he could say about his own baby-soothing skills—but maybe this time she'd refused to go back into her crib. It wouldn't be the first time. 

Wally slid out of the bedsheets and walked out of the room, stretching as he headed towards the end of the hallway. Maybe they were in Irey's room. He peeked inside the dimly lit room and frowned. It was empty of both his child and his spouse. He continued on, hoping to find them in another room of the house. 

As Wally neared the living room and kitchen, he was surprised he couldn't hear Dick and Iris talking, or the sounds of Dick bumbling around in the kitchen. Irey was a chatterbox, not unlike himself, and usually Dick would chat right back. He prayed to God that Dick hadn't tried to make breakfast; usually his attempts created minor fires and a lot of burnt pancakes. Wally shuddered at the thought. No amount of syrup could fix that. 

But it was silent. It always felt eerie whenever their apartment was quiet. Between Wally and Dick constantly bustling around in the various rooms in the apartment and Irey making her diverse baby noises, their small abode was always lively and, quite honestly, very noisy. 

Wally walked into the kitchen. Nothing, except a now-cold bowl of water. So Dick _had_ been in the kitchen recently. Now only one option remained: the living room.

As soon as he walked in, Wally smiled and sighed in relief. Dick and Iris were cuddled up together on the big armchair. Dick’s arms were wrapped tightly around Iris’s small body, and Irey’s tiny hands were gripping onto Dick’s shirt. Her head was pressed into his arm. Wally kneeled down beside them and gently pulled Iris from Dick’s arms and stood up. Irey's eyes blinked open sleepily. She looked up at Wally and beamed. “Papa!” 

“Good morning, little flower,” Wally said, and kissed her forehead. He shook Dick’s shoulder, and his partner began to stir. Dick slowly sat up and stretched, rubbing his eyes.

“Mornin’, babe,” Wally said, leaning over and kissing Dick’s forehead as well. Dick groaned. “I fell asleep, didn't I,” he mumbled. 

“Yeah, but whatever. You had a ten hour shift yesterday. Besides, Irey didn't seem to mind.” Irey was now fully awake and babbling happily. Dick stood up and buried his face in Wally’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around his torso lazily. 

“Okay, now you get the baby back,” Wally said, sliding her into Dick’s arms before heading into the kitchen. Dick grumbled but followed him, now with a baby attached to his side.

Wally stuck two frozen waffles into the toaster while Dick pulled baby food from the fridge. Irey began kicking her feet as Dick tried to lower her into her high chair, crying out and protesting. He grinned and lifted her back up, holding her face-to-face with him. “Looks like we've got a future crime-fighter on our hands.” 

“What can I say? It's genetic,” Wally said, pulling the now-thawed waffles out and popping in two more. Dick glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. “Are any of those mine, by chance?”

“You were the one who refused to buy a toaster with four toasting holes,” Wally said, shrugging.

“Toasting holes? Is that really what you call them?” Dick asked, laughing. 

“Shut your mouth or I'll toast _your_ hole, Grayson,” Wally said, sticking his tongue. 

Dick started laughing even harder and he sunk into a chair. “Wally, we have a _child_ in our house!” he said, covering Iris's ears. 

“I meant your _mouth_ hole, you dirty bastard,” Wally said, punching Dick’s shoulder. Dick just giggled and wiped tears from his eyes. 

“You sure you meant my mouth? I mean, it's been, what, two weeks?” 

“Two and a half. Now shut up before you permanently ruin our daughter's precious innocence.” The toaster popped up another pair of waffles. “Can we eat breakfast now? I'm starving.” 

Dick peeked at his plate. “Did you make any for me, I dare ask?” 

Wally glanced down at his plate and sighed. “I'll make more,” he muttered. 

“We really should buy a new toaster. We need to keep up with your food intake.” 

“That's what I've been _trying_ to tell you. You should know very well by now that I need a lot of food. I've got—”

“High metabolism, I know,” Dick said, trying unsuccessfully to put Irey in her highchair again. He gave up and set her on his legs. 

Iris blew a raspberry and started chewing on her hand again. “Papa, Papa, Papa,” she cooed through a mouthful of fingers. She kicked her legs and tried to crawl off Dick’s lap. Wally turned and waved to his daughter, then glanced at Dick. “Should I…?”

“You heard the girl. Why don't you go and run a few laps?” Dick said.

Wally zipped over and picked up Irey. “I'll be back in a flash,” he said, grinning goofily. He ran out the door in a blur.

Dick rolled his eyes and stole one of Wally's waffles. He looked out the window and smiled whenever he saw Wally speed by. Iris loved running with Wally, and he could almost hear her ecstatic screams from their apartment up all the way on the fifth floor. 

Wally zoomed back up and into the kitchen after several laps He set Iris down in her highchair and sat down next to Dick. “Hey! That's my waffle!”

Dick smoothed down Irey's wind-blown hair and held her little hands. “Really? It looks a lot like mine.” 

Wally snatched it out of his hand and sped back to the toaster. “I hate you,” Wally yelled.

“Love you too, babe,” Dick replied, unscrewing the top to the baby food. “Hey, while you're up, can you make coffee?” 

“Am I your husband or your servant?” But he started up the coffee maker. 

“I'd like to say you're both,” Dick said. He tied a bib around Irey’s neck and fed her a spoon of apricot mush, taking another waffle from the plate. Wally gave him the stink eye. 

Wally placed the final plate of waffles and cup of coffee on the table. Irey accepted another spoonful of baby food and wrapped her hand around Wally's index finger. His eyes softened and he kissed the top of her head, then sat down next to Dick. 

Dick picked up his coffee and took a sip. He fed Irey another spoonful and linked hands with Wally. Wally laid his head on Dick’s shoulder and smiled at Irey, and she smiled right back with her two little front teeth. 

Right at that very moment, Wally had never felt happier. Sure, he had a mundane job and adult responsibilities, but he still had his superhero duties as the Flash and a daughter with the love of his life. He had a wonderful, albeit rather normal, life. All he could feel was joy when he thought of his life and how he lived it. 

When he came back from the speedforce, his life was hell. But Dick had been there for him and, very slowly, Wally let go of his relationship with Artemis and fell in love with Dick. It was the most beautiful and lovely thing that he'd ever experienced. But the most amazing part of it was that he felt that feeling every day. Every time he looked at Dick he felt it. Every time he looked at Iris he felt it. God, he was just so happy. 

Dick nudged Wally's shoulder. “You gonna eat, Wal?” 

“Is that even a question?” Wally grabbed a waffle and made a big point out of taking a bite. Dick just rolled his eyes again and wiped the orange dribble from Irey's chin.

They all finished eating and cleaned up. Wally picked up Irey and held her close. She smiled up at him and grabbed his thumb, giggling delightedly. He grinned back down at her and kissed her forehead.

Dick came up and linked his arms under Wally's baby-filled ones. Wally leaned his head back and rested it on Dick’s shoulder. They stood there, happy and in love, neither of them wanting to let go of the other. Irey cooed softly and gazed up at her parents’ loving faces, and settled into her Papa's arms. 

“Are you happy?” Dick asked quietly. 

Wally turned and pressed his lips against Dick’s, holding them together before pulling back and touching his forehead against his husband's. 

“Yeah. I'm happy.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!!  
> please leave me a comment telling me what you thought and a kudos would be nice too  
> ily all and hope to see you again soon <3


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